


The Castle Approves

by AisforAnon



Category: Girl Genius (Webcomic)
Genre: Drama, Dubious Ethics, F/M, Girl Genius Event Week 2019, Girl Genius Event Week 2019 (Fics That Pass In The Night), Human Experimentation, M/M, Mad Science, Multi, Post-Canon, Science Experiments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-24 15:11:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20909693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AisforAnon/pseuds/AisforAnon
Summary: Something is not right in Mechanicsburg...Tarvek is conducting illicit experiments.Gil is the test subject.Agatha is worried because the Castle approves.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For Girl Genius Event Week 2019Oct. 7: The fic that requires too much backstory and I just want to write the one cool sceneI want to (intend to, really...) write all the backstory.But, I have a lot I'd like to write, and this scene would show up several stories in.So, I'm going to post it as a stand-alone just for fun!





	1. The Castle Approves...

“Mmm…mmmhmm…mmm hmm…”Agatha hummed as she rummaged in the body cavity of a guard clank.The sound wasn’t quite heterodyning, and it wasn’t quite music.Rather, her mind was somewhere between normal awareness and Spark madness.She lay on her belly; her head, arms, and upper torso inside the clank.One foot perched on a ladder while the other stuck up behind her, beating time in the air.

**|My Lady?|** the Castle’s voice boomed suddenly through the laboratory. 

“Aaah!” Agatha screeched, jerked and struck her head a nasty whack against the lid of the clank.The ladder wobbled dangerously, threatening to throw her twenty feet to the floor.

**|His Majesty, your consort, is threatening to perform illicit experiments upon His Lordship, your consort,|** the Castle continued.

“Wait!Tarvek is… _Tarvek is_… _what?"_ she spluttered.Drawing herself carefully out of the clank body, Agatha balanced cautiously on the ladder. 

**|As I said Mistress, Master Tarvek just ordered Master Gilgamesh to submit to an experiment.Master Gilgamesh is protesting that he does not want to aid Master Tarvek in his experiment.|**

The Castle paused as if to listen.**|Ah… Master Tarvek is tying Master Gilgamesh to the furniture.|** The Castle chuckled with a sound like falling masonry.**|My Lady is very fortunate in her suitors.Master Tarvek is wonderful to behold…|**

Agatha’s blood froze.Tarvek was doing something horrible to Gil, something the Castle _approved_?“No… He wouldn’t.Tarvek _couldn’t…_” she protested.Visions of Tarvek at last week’s diplomatic conference raced across her mind._Had he been attacked?Compromised?Was he being controlled?I need to get there, now! _

She felt queasy.Over the pounding of her heart, she heard a soft muttering, “No, no, **_no,_**” without realizing the voice was hers.“Castle?Are they in one of the labs?”She scrambled down the ladder, “how fast can you get me there?” 

**|Right away, my Lady**.**|**The stone floor beneath her fell away, and she was caught by a rising platform that whisked her up, past indistinct rooms at a dizzying speed.When the platform ground to an abrupt halt, Agatha staggered and groped for a wall to steady herself as the Castle spoke, **|Here you are**.**|**

She looked up, the world still spinning gently.The hall around her, illuminated by torches, revealed niches with fearsome suits of armour lining both walls.The stones under her feet were engraved with tiny skulls, and the door bore an enormous, bronze trilobite. 

“Castle?”She asked unsure, heart hammering.“They’re _here_?” 

**|Oh yes, my Lady**,**|**the Castle assured her.**|Have fun**…**|** its voice died away.

Agatha pushed the bedroom door open.“**_Tarvek!_**” she called, voice tinged with Madness, “**_you had better save some for me!_**”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has two chapters. It's hardly long enough to merit them, but I wanted to create a pause in the narrative. Enjoy!


	2. ...Of Tarvek's Experiment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth comes out... sort of.  


[Five Minutes Earlier]

**SLAM!**

Gil shot upright and spun, still dripping bath water.The hand that had been reaching for a towel now held a blade.He crept silently to the door of the bathing room and listened. 

“Gil!Where are you?”Tarvek’s voice rang through the suite.“I need your help with **_an experiment_**_._”He sighed in relief, and tucked his knife out of sight.Wrapping the towel around his hips, he walked through the bedroom of the suite into the sitting room. 

There, the sight of Tarvek stopped him short.In the soft light of candles and gas lamps the other man radiated Sparkiness.He was resplendent in a long white laboratory coat; faceted goggles sat against his forehead.Tarvek’s hair shone as red and dark as blood against his coat.In his hands he held two phials of a glimmering, viscous liquid. 

“I **_need you_** for this **_experiment_**,” Tarvek said again, and Gil could hear the Spark in his voice.Gil’s skin rippled with goosebumps and his heart skipped.It wasn’t often that he heard Madboy harmonics in Tarvek’s words.He was the most controlled Spark Gil had ever met.Now, as Tarvek strode toward him, his expression was sharp and predatory. 

“What experiment is this?” Gil asked dubiously, crossing his arms protectively over his chest and deliberately keeping his voice even.He could smell a pleasant, delicate scent coming from the phials. 

Tarvek didn’t answer; the energy coming from him felt like a physical force._Was that a spark of lightning arcing from Tarvek’s glasses to his goggles?_Gil wanted to hold his ground, but found himself taking an involuntary step backward into the bedroom.Tarvek smiled, yet Gil was discomforted to see the Madness at the corners of his mouth.He reached out a hand to Tarvek’s chest, unsure whether he meant to hold him back or pull him close.Lightning leapt across the gap to sting Gil’s hand.He yelped but planted his palm firmly on the other man’s chest, “Tarvek, what is going on?What '_experiment'_ is this?”Gil’s inflection on _experiment_ made it sound like an esoteric perversion.

Tarvek’s smile widened, and Gil’s heart skipped a beat._How could I forget how enticing that Mad expression could be?__The voice…The lightning that played in Tarvek's eyes and crackled off him. _

Then, the pfennig dropped. 

“Tarvek.You didn’t.”Gil’s breath hitched; he gulped but couldn’t go on.The predatory expression on Tarvek’s face intensified. 

“**_Oh yes, I did_**_,_” he purred.Gil’s face was on fire.Tarvek leaned close and whispered, “You’re **_beautiful_** when you blush.” His eyes flashed, “**On the bed, Gilgamesh**!”

Gil's legs didn’t seem to want to obey him.They wanted to obey Tarvek’s command instead.He stumbled back until he struck the bed.His knees folded, dropping him onto the eiderdown.Gil raised both hands in protest, “No, Tarvek… Look. I… we can’t.I don’t want to do this experiment…”

Tarvek ignored him.Instead he placed the phials in their rack on the bedside table.He held Gil’s eyes as he slowly drew a long length of scarlet cord from his coat pocket. 

“…without Agatha.We promised she would be here.We _promised_ it would be all of us, _together_.”

**Author's Note:**

> I love feedback and comments of all kinds, from emojis to dissertations!  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Visit me on tumblr:  
[AisforAnon](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/a-is-for-anon)


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